Alchemy

A Note on the Philosopher's Stone

This is the subject of enormous controversy, and has been for who knows how long. You will be told different "facts" about this Stone depending on who you ask: That it couldn't possibly exist, that it does exist, that it's a state of mind and not a physical object, etc. I'm going to put in my two cents, based on everything I've studied as well as experienced in the lab and learned from others. Although I haven't yet discovered the PS I can't prove any of this, so perhaps in the future my opinion will change.

 

The photo to the right is a photograph of the PS made by Roger Caro in the last century. It was made using cinnabar; the description of its production can be found in the following link for your interest:

 

Roger Caro: The Complete Great Work Photographed

 

I personally feel that the PS is both a state of being and a real substance. In order to produce it the alchemist must have already achieved a certain state of evolution through the Lesser Works, and is proof to him or herself that a certain state of evolution has been achieved, and will serve to help bring about an even higher state of evolution.

 

Despite what others may claim regarding riches and the PS, one cannot become rich with it. Transmutation is meant as a demonstration of the law of Evolution, and will not work if the aim of the person using the Stone is material gain. This is a substance housing tremendous spiritual energies, and will not work if brought down to such a mundane level.

 

The PS does have tremendous healing properties. It will cure any disease. It also has acute Initiatic properties - it will bring you to a level where contact with your Inner Master is inevitable, and stimulate your psychic body to the point where you may temporarily develop certain psychic abilities as telepathy, precognition, even telekinesis.

 

There are two types of the Philopher's Stone: The White and the Red. The White PS will transmute any base metal (such as lead, tin, copper, iron, or mercury) into silver. It is not as strong in its healing properties as the Red, but can still do quite a bit. The Red PS will transmute a base metal into pure gold, and cure any illness. These Stones can be Multiplied, that is, increased in both quantity and quality. When increased in quality, each cycle increases its strength by a factor of ten. So, instead of one part PS transmuting ten parts of lead or mercury into gold, it's a hundred parts. Multiply it further it will be one thounsand, then ten thousand, then one hundred thousand, and so on. Eventually it will get to a point where it's pointless because no crucible that large exists. After the fourth cycle of multiplication, the PS starts to glow, and after the seventh it is so volatile that it would be extremely easy to lose it into the air. I've read accounts where it has been multiplied over twelve times and was in a liquid state. But like all other accounts pertaining to the PS, it has to be taken with a grain of salt (get it?!).

 

The following is an excerpt from George von Welling's "Opus Mago-Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum." While I don't agree with everything that is said (and you'll know which parts I'm talking about), it still provides material for consideration.

 

Dr. Hensing's Discourse on the Philosopher's Stone

Given by Dr. Hensing of Giessen, Whose Public Chemical Demonstrations of November 1722 Are Described Below

 

Part 1

Among all those things most worthy of our reflection are two that deserve our praise for their excellence, our attention because of their great significance, and our recognition of their practical value. They are worth being praised with great solemnity and dignity based on well-ordered reason and reflection without idle vanity.

 

Part 2

The first thing is the place and condition in which we feel eternally safe and secure. The other is the means to live in this world without sickness and want. The first is known to us as the kingdom of God and eternal bliss. The other has always been called lapis philosophorum, or the Philosopher's Stone.

 

Part 3

If there is anything so passionately spoken about yet sought after in a most disorderly, blind and illogical manner without the proper means or methods, it is these two prized things.

 

Part 4

Regarding the first of these two things one need only consider the atheists, idol- worshippers, hypocrites and religious sectarians in order to see the wisdom of our words. We will leave it to the theologians to explain them further. I, however, do not wish to linger here any longer, but will instead turn my attention to the Philosopher's Stone.

 

Part 5

For many years men have written about this valuable Stone, as is particularly evident today in today's discussion of the writings of Olai Borrichi against Ursinum, Kircherum and Congringium. Since gold and silver, the leading symbols of wealth, are today being increasingly misused and leaving a shortage of the materials for the minting of coins, a general poverty has set in, making a greater desire for the Philosopher's Stone almost universal. So many attempts have been made over the years to create the Stone that between eight thousand and ten thousand books on the subject have appeared. We would not have to look very far to notice that in both antiquity as well as in th modern world emperors, kings, princes, nobles and common people, scholars and unschooled men, and even craftsmen, soap-makers and seamstresses, etc., have busied themselves with the creation of the Stone, and still are preoccupied with it today. This pursuit has become so widespread that even the most common charcoal-maker is quite knowledgeable about this topic. On the other hand, there are also many people who consider the Stone a chimera and its pursuit a worthless waste of time. They argue from a rational point of view against the existence of the Stone and call those who even admit that it might be possible the worst of fools. We hear, for example, the words of Cardinal Perronius, who says, "deplorata sunt ingenia, quae in investiganda quadratura circuli, perpetuo mobili, & lapide philosophorum occupantur" ("These are poor souls who seek the squared circle, perpetual motion and the Philosopher's Stone.")

 

Part 6

It is curious, however, that there are people who do not publicly admit the belief in the Stone, and criticize those who do, but nevertheless secretly pursue their search for a means of creating gold. We have an interesting example in the world-renowned and sharp- witted chancellor of England, Sir Francis Bacon, who often sharply criticizes alchemical pursuits in his writings, although he eagerly pursues these arts in the privacy of his home.

 

Part 7

A story has been circulating that previously the alchemical arts had been strictly forbidden in France, but that the current ruler had encouraged the members of the Royal Society familiar with chemistry to investigate the Philosopher's Stone. And who does not know that the papacy has forbidden these arts under pain of severe punishment, despite the fact that such activities frequently occur in cloisters?

 

Part 8

In such matters it often happens that we fall to one or the other extremity; we either judge the matter too leniently and thus begin to believe everything that is said about it, or we react blindly and criticize it against all reason. Because either approach does not flatter a reasoning man, I have decided to speak at length here about the Philosopher's Stone, so that my honorable lords will be able to understand it correctly and thus avoid unnecessary calamity.

 

Part 9

If they deem this material worthy and thus direct their attention to it, they will find the following questions quickly answered: (1) What is the Philosopher's Stone? Is it possible to produce such a thing? And are the powers attributed to it real? (2) Why have so few people been successful in producing it? (3) What are the foolish and ill-advised pitfalls that confront those seeking to produce the Stone? (4) Is it advisable to get involved with these arts?

 

Part 10

So that we do not sound like a blind man speaking about colours, we must first clearly understand what the Philosopher's Stone really is.

 

Part 11

It is a body that has been fashioned from highly purified living mercury and living gold, bound together by fire, such that they can never again be separated. In this form it can transform, purify and fix all other metals, such that they can be raised to the nature of the purest gold. So that this is clearly understood, I will endeavor to explain each point of this definition separately.

 

Part 12

I first said that the Stone is a body that is fashioned or made from something. The art that is used to make the Stone is called by some today as chrysopoeia. We are not creating this Stone in order to make gold, says Geber, but rather to help nature with the preparation of her own materials so that she can achieve her ends with the utmost purity. Other call this art alchymiam, but incorrectly so, for this approach is more concerned with the separation of natural bodies, thus having many different purposes and many shortcomings. The basic principles of our own approach are rightly termed philosophica hermetica, and the art itself ars hermetica. And those who have actually worked with the Philosopher's Stone are called philosophi adepti, or just simply philosophi. Their only work consists of purifying and uniting, and the only materials that concern them are the central essences of mercury and gold. The Stone itself is a wonderful thing, a house of a fixed and inexhaustible light whose natural sulfur is easily liquefied with Fire, and the seed of Gold, a medicine to both men as well as metals. Those who claim to have seen the Stone, as does Friedrich Gallus in his book Reise nach der Einode St. Michael (Travels to St. Michael's Desert), say that it flows at night and is a transparent bloodred stone or powder during the day. Others assure us that it has great weight. This cold in fact be true, considering the materials from which the Stone has been made: a highly purified living Mercury and a living gold. We must first look at these two elements a bit more closely.

 

Part 13

Let us first look at Mercury. An old saying reminds us, "Everything that wise men seek is contained in Mercury." And Geber proclaims in his Considerat. rerum, ex quibus est perfectio Magisterii, L. M., chapter 5, "Laudetur Deus benedictus. Qui creavit Mercurium, & dedit ei Substantiam & Substantiae proprietates, quas non contigit ullam ex rebus in natura possidere, ut in illo possit inveniri haec perfectio per artificium aliquod, quod in illo invenimus in potentia propinqua." ["May Blessed God be praised, for it is He who created mercury and imbued it with its essential nature and characteristics, which, it so happens, occur in no other substance in nature. Thus, God's perfection and His craftsmanship can be discovered in mercury, whose power is close to that of God."]

In response to the questions, what kind of Mercury is this? and where can we find it? Wise men through the ages have provided in their writings such strange descriptions and so many superfluous digressions that the reader could almost feel his sanity threatened. However, if we diligently seek what their ideas all have in common, and if we proceed in accordance with nature, we can identify the following truths, which we can briefly summarize as follows: (1) the effect and ultimate purpose of the Philosopher's Stone is the generation and multiplication of gold. (2) This occurs per speciem similem, that is, each species generates its own. In other words, a lion can only produce another lion and not an elephant, a human produces another human and never a bear, an ox produces an ox and no monkey or other ape, just as barley seed does not produce wheat and wheat seed does not produce beets. (3) In order to reproduce itself, a thing must have its own seed, and each type of seed requires its own type of matrix, or bed, so that it doesn't spoil or produce something that goes against the nature of the thing. No farmer would be so foolish as to sow seds on a marble surface or throw seed into a swampy morass. Rather, he will carefully prepare his field before he sows the seed. Conversely, who could respect a farmer who sows the seeds of one type of grain, but expects to harvest another type? (4) All seed, if it is to be fruitful, must be whole and undamaged; then its external and internal parts must receive the moisture they require in order to dissolve and become fluid. Beyond that, a sufficient level of warmth must be present to set the whole process into motion and bring it to completion. No less important is the air, which assures that the warmth does not suffocate the seed or the resulting plants, and will not hinder the circulation of their fluids. All of these are important factors, for grain will not grow in dry earth or during the winter, and the plants are unlikely to produce fruit below ground or in an antlia pneumatica. (5) The moisture that nourishes the seed does not give it specific characteristics, they are rather contained within the seed itself, whose inner moisture contains the principia materialia of which the seed is composed, namely the substantiam Salis sopinguem. This is why common saltwater or Vitriolic alum- water destroys the plant. (6) Seeds of the vegetable or animal kingdoms cannot produce fruit that is different from their own species. Oats cannot produce a rabbit and a fox cannot bring forth a tree. And just as this is so in the vegetable and animal kingdoms, where each created thing has its own seed, matrix, life and manner of reproduction, such that none can exist or reproduce outside of its species, so it is in the mineral kingdom, which is quite distinct from the other kingdoms. Thus, when we speak of seeds, life, death, growth, reproduction, matrices, moisture, warmth, air and other such things, all of this must be understood with respect to the nature and characteristics of minerals.

 

Part 14

The so-called hermetic philosophers seek only the ability to produce gold. Therefore they must (1) possess a seed of golden qualities, (2) also have an appropriate liquid medium and (3) have a fitting matrix or field. To recognize whether all these things are correctly in place, we must follow the following short rule: According to its qualities, gold is the purest, heaviest and most fire-resistant thing in all three kingdoms. According to its substance, it is a body in which the purest fixed mercury has joined together with Sulfur and salt in such a manner that these principia excepto tertio cannot be separated from one another, either through nature or by human hand.

 

Part 15

If, according to the order of nature, a seed must be of the same essence as its fruit, as we mentioned above, then the true philosophers must be correct when they say that (1) the seed of gold should not be sought in any combustible or volatile vegetable, animal, sulfurous or arsenical things, etc., but rather in gold itself. (2) When gold has been smelted out of its ore, it is dead; that is, it cannot bring about any further reproduction of itself. This is because it contains only as much moisture within it as it needs to support its essence. (3) If a seed germinates, its inner moisture must be augmented with the same type of moisture. (4) Its inner moisture is Mercury, which has been coagulated by its sulfur and is held fast within bonds or compartments of stone, as was noted in the first rules above. (5) Gold's solvent must also be a Mercury. (6) This Mercury should be sought in the mineral kingdom and will indeed be found there.

 

Part 16

So that our search does not take us astray, we will again note some of the important ideas of the philosophers in this regard: (1) The solvent and water in question is a metallic, heavy, shining liquid that does not moisten our hands if we touch it. (2) Furthermore, this water is closely related to the metals; this is why it easily mixes with them and is not easily separated from them. (3) This water, after it has been prepared as a volatile spirit, either disappears entirely in fire, or remains untouched by it. (4) This water, joined together with gold and silver in the appropriate proportion, makes them volatile, like them, it becomes fire-resistant. If we search throughout all of nature we will still not find any liquid that possesses these qualities in its raw state arrige aures pamphile, the well-known quicksilver or common mercury. However, there is still much general confusion on this point. Having rejected common mercury, some still insist on a corporeal mercury, that is, a mercury of metals from gold and silver, while others fish for it in other elements. In all, much effort and wealth is wasted in these efforts. It is the same as going to India for something that lies right before our eyes. So that this confusion does not do any further harm, we will once again turn to the teachings of the wise men: (1) The excellent author of the Arcani Philosophiae Hermeticae confirms Geber's standpoint when he says that those who see in common mercury - as it exists in nature in its complete substance - pro salvente redicali auri, deceive themselves and others. However, those who reject common mercury out of hand do so in contradiction of the truth. (2) Those who draw out of mercury its purest substance and can free it of its attraction to water are on their way to finding our special Mercury. (3) Those who can increase the inner sulfur of Mercury by the correct amount have the true key to separate the true water and solvent, the Sulfur and Mercury of gold from their hard stony shells and to make them powerfully and effectively come alive.

 

Part 17

See, that is the precious water, which the philosophers have called by so many different names, to the confusion of all fools. After having read over four hundred books on the topic and having studied and experimented tirelessly on the same, I have opted to call it a highly purified animated quicksilver.

 

Part 18

Now let us turn our attention to living gold. Common gold is, as mentioned earlier, quite passive and inert and has some inherent foreign elements. And craftsmen frequently add all manner of other things to it in their coin minting and workshops. These additions lessen the metal's natural beauty and dignity. Therefore wise men reject common gold, but not gold in general. Instead, they purify and cleanse it of all its foreign additions by means of a corrosive mineral agent, Antimony, or by a quart. solutiones and praecipitationes, caementationes, etc. They then view it as the materiam proximam from which Philosopher's Sulfur must first be made, before the Stone or the gold seed can be made accessible. They do this by taking one-fifth of a pound of purified and finely pulverized gold (we do not need an entire pound as the charlatans often insist) and blending it with three-fifths of a pound of Philosopher's Mercury into a well-mixed amalgam that feels like butter to the touch. Then put this mass in an appropriately sized glass vial, called a Philosopher's Egg. This container does in its own way what the shell of an animal's eff does. Then seal off the vial, making it airtight. Then place it in a spacious oven at the appropriate temperature for nine months. During this time the gold will become volatile with the Mercury and turned into what the wise men call a primam materiam. In the meantime this mass will change in appearance from black to white, then from white to red, and go through as many wonderful colors as it does altered states of the mixing Mercury and gold, so that the wise men cannot adequately describe it completely. Finally, gold will gain the upper hand and combine the Mercury entirely with itself, such that they can never again be separated from one another by the power of fire, water or air. With this, the first step in the process is complete, but we are still nowhere near creating the Philosopher's Stone, having only prepared Philosopher's Sulfur, whose sole purpose it is to awaken the dead gold and enrich it, and especially its seed. And so, if we apply this Sulfur to gold and add in Philosopher's Mercury, and cook it all for seven to nine months as we described earlier, we will produce the Philosopher's Stone in the true seed of the gold, which will have a millionfold potency for reproduction. Let us now look at the field in which the seed is sown.

 

Part 19

When growing plants, a field must have enough water, but it must also have a nitrient-rich, loose, salty soil if it is to be productive. These nutrients, water and salt become the grain, wheat, etc., that grows from the earth. These are the same principles that produce the pleasant scents of the rose, of carnations, lavender and narcissus, but also the unpleasant smells of blackberries, hyoscyame, opio and asafetida. In short, there are very many seeds in the world that are specialized and shaped by water and earth in an uneven manner. The wise men have their own fields for their gold seeds, but like any such fields, tey are unequal in quality. One field may not have enough water while another may have enough water, but be lacking in nutrients or salt; another field might be too sandy, while yet another is too stony, etc. For our purposes, we consider there to be six distinct fields of different qualities. The first and best is Mercury, the second is Silver, the third is Tin, and the fourth is Lead; the fifth is Copper and the sixth and worst is Iron.

 

Part 20

Every one of these metals has its own portion of mineral moisture, that is, Mercury as well as mineral fat or nutrient, or Sulfur and both of these can be mixed with varying amounts of combustible, earthen, stony or glassy materials; such is the composition of metallic ore. For that reason many types of metals, such as tin, lead, copper and iron, must be specially prepared and purified, if the gold seed within them is to bear fruit.

 

Part 21

Now, if during the so-called projection process a grain of the Stone that has been fermented and strengthened in its potency is mixed with one thousand or even ten thousand parts of a molten metal, the Mercury and the Sulfur of the metal will servce as a source of nourishment and strengthening for the seed. At the same time, the seed will shape them according to the nature of gold. This all occurs quite quickly because (1) this metallic seed is very pure, active and penetrating, (2) it has no organic structure but rather a homogenearum partium unionem, (3) the whole process employs fire, which speeds everything up more quickly than air or water. In this manner a seed can be prepared from silver, which can convert other bodies to its own nature. Lastly, we should note that this method is the one commonly referred to by wise men as the dry process. They also possess knowledge of a so-called wet process, but they keep this information so secret that ew can learn nothing from their writings about it. Therefore we will not address that process here at all. It is sufficient that the reader can leran from our words not only that the Philosopher's Stone exists, but that it can be produced by men and possesses real power.

 

Part 22

Therefore we will continue to investigate the reasons why so few men every truly succeed in producing the Stone, thus giving the impression that it is a rare occurrence, when in fact the technique is not so very difficult. Whichever art or science we wish to learn about in some detail, certain conditions are necessary: (1) there must be an experienced and faithful teacher present, (2) an appropriate length of time must be available to acquire this knowledge, (3) a certain disposition of the mind and body of the student is necessary, (4) the student must engage in regular focused practice, (5) appropriate materials and instruments must be available, (6) as well as an appropriate location. If one or more of these conditions is absent, the learning process will be unsuccessful, or at least not complete. If someone wanted to be a field surveyor, he would need an experienced and knowledgeable mentor who could teach him about the various types of fields according to their surface features, or about mixed districts with mountains and valleys. And he will learn how to distinguish various fields by their shape, be it triangular, rectangular, or possessing five, six or more sides. He will also learn how to correctly use the various instruments of the surveyor, each for their appointed purpose. And in addition to the knowledge of all these things, he must learn how to perform the tasks of this profession. A student of this trade must devote the time to learn geometry; he should also be well-grounded in arithmetic; he must have excellent vision and goot feet for walking; he must have good instruments that measure straight and true, otherwise his work will all be in vain. What would become of the student surveyor if, after having learned everythign thoroughly, he just sat at home? In fact, he must go outside into the fields and watch how everything out there works, doing some of these things himself, so that he gains valuable experience.

 

Part 23

Now let us apply this to our particular art. If there is an art or field of endeavor in the world that requires such profound knowledge and secret, subtle techniques, it is certainly the hermetic arts. But where are the skilled and knowledgeable teachers in this field who can help us navigate the many shoals in our way? There are more than enough books available, but what good are they? Many of them are too obscure, while others are more appropriate for those wishing to become preachers, lawyers, mathematicians or medical doctors by showing off their knowledge in a particular profession. But such autodidacts are held in low esteem, for their book knowledge is a shallow thing. How is it then that a true teacher of the hermetic arts is so hard to come by? I will briefly outline the reasons: many true wise men have had their heads turned by the search for gold, or been forced to do so, often forfeiting their freedom and even their life as a result. You can read about such cases in the famous Philaletha Fata and marvel at the evil of our world. What can I say? We cannot even speak in a reasonable and orderly fashion about noble chemistry without accusations and persecution coming down upon us. Many an honorable man has to tolerate on a daily basis being called a gold-maker, alchemist, murderer, maker of poisons and medical quackeries, and many other things. I could relate many stories of such injustice. However, were it not for the fact that most critics are themselves ignorant of what they criticize, and if I did not feel compelled by a higher authority to fulfill my responsibility with regard to the tractationem chemiae, I would have long ago cursed the hours that I spend with such endeavors. I would also be inclined to warn all medical students to avoid the study of true chemistry, except that most of them are afraid of working with burning coals anyway. They are clever enough to realize that it is more profitable nowadays to follow contemporary practices rather than the knowledge of the ancient Egyptians, and to simply write prescriptions if they want a successful medical practice.

Getting back to the topic of finding a true teacher in the hermetic arts, it is especially difficult today to find a living, breathing teacher of this sort. As a result, those wishing to learn about these arts must turn to books, despite severe shortcomings of this method of learning. Nevertheless, they do so because they do not bring with them to the study of these arts the necessary mental faculties. That is, a disciple of the hermetic arts must also be a good theologian who knows how to live with respect to his God and his neighbor, so as to avoid ruin and misfortune. He must be very knowledgeable about moral theology, so that he is himself a model of self-discipline who is able to keep his desires in check. He must also be a superb student of nature, knowing the composition, types and capabilities of all natural things, so that his work is consistently of the highest quality and does not waver from this path. So too, he must possess the highest knowledge about the theory and practice of all areas of common chemistry, so that he does not attempt to do things with this type of chemistry that are the domain of the higher, secret chemistry of which we speak. Look closely at these requirements and you will see how difficult it is to be a true wise man or philosophus adeptus and how a tailor's apprentice can in no way take up chemistry without all the preparations and expect to accomplish anything.

 

Part 24

Those who attempt to learn the so-called gold-making arts typically do not devote much time to learning about this element. After they have read one or two books on the topic they think themselves knowledgeable enough to quickly apply what they have "learned" to the process of making gold. As expected, their efforts produce nothing but absurdities. Such people think far too highly of their intellect and flatter themselves by maintaining that they can divine the truth and wisdom from the obscure puzzles and paradoxes of the wise men, which is even difficult to do when dealing with less obscure writings. I will not go into their ignorance concerning the material in question, or their lck of discipline in pursuing their ends. Rather, I would remind the reader that it was the will of God to create gold and silver without corruption and in such a quantity that all men, even if there were ten times as many as there are today, should have enough for their needs. This abundance is, of course, skewed if greed tries to collect all of this valuable material in one place, or if it is wasted through human pride, whereby it is consumed and destroyed. When I see this happening among those suffering from gold fever, I cannot help but believe that there is such a thing as an evil spirit that goes about convincing such people that they can successfully make the Philosopher's Stone out of this or that material, so that they are always quite hopeful in their search for the correct formula. And when they think themselves close to success their hopes are betrayed, as they must be because of the false path they have followed. This then is an important point: those who pursue the hermetic arts against the teachings of true philosophy used to be called sophists, but today are termed alchemists.

 

Part 25

Among these alchemists some have noticed that Mercury is a useful water that contains something great. Therefore they try to work with it and many before them have tried to turn it into gold and silver. But this mercury mocked their efforts by destroying their vials, retorts and even their iron vessels and flying away in the form of smoke, leaving nothing behind. If it had been handled more gently it would have left behind its flowing form and would have eventually become a powder. In any case, at the first opportunity it would revert to beng simply Mercury.

Other alchemists did in fact believe the words of the true philosophers when the latter said that Mercury would be of little use for their purposes because of its crudity and impurity. Noting this, the alchemists tried to cleanse it with Salt, vinegar, brine and similar things; they mixed it with Salt, Niter, Vinegar and Sulfur and sublimated it ten or twenty or more times. But when they attempted to revivify it, it nevertheless remained inert; thus, all their efforts were in vain.

 

Part 26

Over time, other alchemists recognized that salts did not penetrate far enough into the heart of the metals, and thus did not cleanse the central Mercury of the latter, nor did they replace the metal's missing Sulfur. They then turned to the metals themselves and mixed Mercury with them, then amalgamated the mixture, distilled it, sublimated it, boiled it and baked it, but all to no avail. Having determined that the Mercury was useless in this regard - and soundly cursing it for that reason - they moved on to the metals. Here they attempted for a long time to get a mercurial essence or flowing Mercury from Gold, Silver, Lead, Tin and Iron. These efforts, too, went largely unrewarded.

 

Part 27

The next level of attempts were directed at the soul or Sulfur of gold and the other metals. The alchemists tried to achieve their desired results through processes of cementing, calcinating, dissolving, with frontibus, regalibus, oil of Vitriol, enhancing the volatility with spontibus Vinegar, urinosus, through extraction with acetic radicatis and other such things. They struggled with the so-called purple cloak of Basilius Valentinus with the result that much gold was wasted and went up in smoke from their experiments, or ended up thoroughly mixed together with ashes and dirt. This is certainly not surprising, since they were trying to separate gold and silver from their very essence and trying to make the other metals surrender that which they do not possess in the first place. Such foolishness! Such misfortune! From such foolish attempts as these various procedures were invented which did not fare any better, but which wasted one metal after the other until all the alchemist's possessions had been transformed in nihil universale.

 

Part 28

Alchemists have noted what the philosophers or wise men have maintained, namely that their gold is living and not dead, still retains its inherent spirit, and was not subjected to any smelting process. Thus, they have gone into the ore pits, extracted their ore and attempted to capture the elusive hermetic bird with a thousand nets. And if they produce some arsenic-laden material, sulfurous water or saline powder, they think they are on the right track to becoming richer than Croesus, when in reality they are poorer than Irus. Recognizing that the metals and the metal ores are too strongly sealed for their approach to succeed, they will then proceed ad media mineralia and ad salia in the belief that they can easily extract the Sulfur and Mercury of gold. However, all they will get from this is arsenic, which will eat holes in their clothing and even their beards and their skin. The arsenic that the sophists produce will reward them for their efforts with various maladies of the sinuses, throat and lungs, instead of with the gold that they so greatly desire. And the Mercury that they work with will eat away at their bones. If lime, bismuth, zinc, cobalt and cinnabar could speak, they would certainly be able to tell us wonderful stories about how they were treated by the sophists and how they secretly crept into their bodies, just as the devil sent his demons into the herd of swine in Scripture, so that they would run into the sea to certain death.

 

What about the salts? Common kitchen salt has an excellent effect on the human body as a kind of life balm. Because of this, the alchemists believe it must then also be useful in producing the Philosopher's Stone, because the Niter has a powerful effect on sulfurous things, especially gunpowder, and thus must be able to open the strongly sealed bosom of nature. They also believe that since Niter is useful in dying cloth, it must therefore be full of the Sulfur and Mercury of the Sun. Quae, qualis quanta risum teneatis amici. Nevertheless, the pursue these things with the greatest seriousness and diligence.

 

Part 29

The foolishness of these efforts is quite evident from our description. However, these are not the worst, for the sophists have even more absurd beliefs. Take the following example: A certain king of Egypt, named Calid, spoke once with the philosopher Morienus about the Philosopher's Stone and specifically asked about the secret process for preparing the Mercury. The philosopher answered the king carefully, but not directly, for he could not just reject the king's request. Instead, he said: Haec res ex te extrahitur (This substance comes from you yourself). Now when the clever sophists heard this tale, they thought, "At last! We now have the next in which the golden egg nestles! How could we have been so dumb for so long? Is not a man a microcosm? Is he not, like the greater world, composed of the four elements? Do we not see almost daily that even stones can grow in him? Didn't it once occur in Silesia that a head was found that had a completely golden tooth in it? Why then shouldn't the human body possess the first essence of gold? O blessed Morienus! You have saved us from all error!" Hardly had the sophists finished congratulating themselves on their discovery, when new doubts began to surface. They thought, "Where would the place be in the human body where this gold would grow?" Not having an answer, they experimented with blood, hair, urine, excrement, bones, marrow and many other parts of the human body. However, the words of Arnold de Villa Nova still always rang true: Qui in merdis quaerit, merdam inveniet.

 

Part 30

Then along came Hel Wigh, who thought himself the smartest of them all; at least he was not as disgusting as the others, he thought. He wanted to convince the world that he had found the location in question, the source of the gold in the human body, namely in the mouth. He was not terribly clear in his explanation of how this functioned, and was content to summarize it with the words Visaliena Tessae. But this motto was soon captured into Essentia Salivae which put an end to the whole affiar.

 

Over and over again we hear that Aristotle said matter can only be transmuted after it has been transformed into its original essence or "first matter." Indeed, many wise men believed that gold must undergo a similar change before it can be capable of producing any of the wonderful effects attributed to it. This caught the attention of the sophists who reasoned that in order for it to be reduced to its first or primary matter, it must surrender all of its specific qualities and become a kind of undertermined matter. If this occurs, we must then look for some powerful and potent spiritual essence that has no material form itself, but which has the power to become any and all forms of matter. This spirit would thus be able to take away the inherent form from any material body and replace it with whatever transmuted form we might be inclined to give it. As fanciful as this philosophy may appear to be in theory, it seems to bear fruit when applied in practice. Some practitioners of this art choose to stay close to the earth, so that they do not suffer a great fall and because they see the earth as te matrix and uterus of heavenly influences, ergo spiritus ille universalis, sive mundi anima archaeus etcetera in illa coagulatur et coagulatus invenitur. Thus, they dig around in the earth searching for virginal soil that could serve this function. They then expose it for several months to the rays of the Sun, Moon and Stars. Finally, they distil it so as to remove foreign particles and have as a result either a Niter or a liquid with similar qualities, which, of course, they could have purchased in greater quantity and quality, and more cheaply, at the local apothecary.

 

Part 31

Others seek to draw such valuable materials out of the air by means of strongly calcinated salts. So as to leave no stone unturned, they experimented with hailstones, dew, snow, hoarfrost, rainwater, rays of the sun, etc., in the hope of capturing this spiritum mundi. They can manipulate these things however they wish, by turning them into oils, salts, solutions, solids; they can separate them, reconstitute them, distil them, calcinate them and do whatever they think worthwhile, but in the end they will have learned nothing new and can only wonder why.

 

Part 32

Astronomers have noted that the Sun is a very great distance from the Earth. Nevertheless, there are still fools who would try to get there, after having heard that the Sun is actually composed of pure flowing gold, as many scientists have confirmed. These are the ineptiae majores. We could just as easily point to the nugis minoribus who go around claiming that they can profitably make Gold and Silver from gravel, improve the quality of poor metallic ore, make barren ores fruitful, or extract the granum fixum compendiosissime, all with the greatest profit imaginable.

 

Part 33

There still remain three questions to be answered: (1) Is it wise to counsel anyone to become involved with the hermetic arts? (2) What kind of person would be happy in this discipline? and (3) How can one tell if those who claim to be practitioners of these arts are truly knowledgeable of its secrets?

 

Part 34

We must answer the first question with a resounding "No." Although we are certain that the source of the Philosopher's Stone can be found in Mercury and Gold, there are too many hurdles to overcome in order to unlock these sources. Philosophers assure us that the true preparation of Mercury has not been revealed by any of them over the years and further, it may not be revealed in writing under penalty of the most horrible curse. Therefore, if anyone arrives at this knowledge it would have to be either through direct divine inspiration or through oral revelation and manual demonstration by a knowledgeable practitioner of these arts sub sigillo secretissimi silentii. Even if someone were to produce the Philosopher's Mercury the subsequent work (ratione furni externi, vasis, compositionis, ponderis fixi et volatilis solaris) would be so fraught with difficulties that most people would despair and give up, although a few might follow Pontano's example and patiently continue experimenting some two hundred times despite never achieving the desired end. Few will ever live long enough to imitate Count Trevisano who first succeeded at a very advanced age.

 

Part 35

If anyone has such confidence and diligence that he wishes to pursue this goal, he should think of the words of Aurilius Augurellus as an answer to the second question:

Well then, you mortals! Follow this bright light

That shines from out of the darkness.

Avoid the crooked path with all your might,

Which common men go down in all its gloomy starkness,

They think they hold its secrets all the same,

Which thousands through the years have sought in vain.

 

The greedy and the lazy and the charlatan as well,

The citizen, the craftsman or the salesman at his trade,

The farmer who must plow the field and then his products sell,

They do not grasp the import of the error they have made,

To think the Stoen will give them wealth, that this is what they need,

Such blindness will find no reward; their work will not succeed.

 

But those who favor wisdom as their guide

And honor their Creator before all earthly whims

To love Him more than gold or heaven, and decide

To turn their heart and mind and soul to Him.

They can pursue their goal with hope and know

That wisdom will their work with blessings sow.

 

These words are echoed by the incomparable author of the Arcani Hermeticae Philosophiae (parts 2, 4, and 5) whose own sentiments on this topic are worth reading. And finally, Geber notes that anyone can achieve the goal outlined above at relatively little cost, if one has taken the principles of this discipline to heart. Many people of lesser means, however, will not be able to achieve this goal, since they are often forced to stop before the process is complete.

 

Part 36

If you ever come across someone who claims to be a master of these arts, you might ask him (1) if he has completed the masterwork in question with only Mercury. And if he says that he also used gold, ask him whether he was able to get by with just a little of it. (2) Ask him whether he can calcinate, putrify, sublimate, precipitate, dissolve and coagulate things with an oven contained within a sealed glass container, without opening it. Then ask him whether the material in the container first turned black and then white. And after that, ask him the meaning of the saying, "You must first make silver before you can make gold." If he can explain all these things in a satisfactory manner then you can believe his claim. If not, he is a charlatan. However, if he learned all these things only from books, you should cast a wary eye on him, as he is certainly no philosophus adeptus and could have designs on your money pouch. The intelligent reader will consider himself forewarned.